Aurora Trinity Lutheran Parish Monthly Newsletter

December, 2011 Christmas Eve Worship Service Times

Saturday, December 24, 2011 at 4:00 p.m. at Aurora Sunday, December 25, 2011 at 9:00 a.m. at Trinity Please note: Aurora will not have a Worship Service on Christmas Day.

Food Shelf Sunday at Aurora

The next food shelf Sunday at Aurora will be on Sunday, December 2nd. Please give to help those who are less fortunate.

Sunday School Update

The Aurora Sunday School has started practicing for the Christmas Program that will be on Sunday, December 11th during the 10:30 a.m. Worship Service. Please be sure to get your children to Sunday School on time and practice their parts at home. The last day of Sunday School before the Christmas break will be on December 11th. Sunday School will resume again on Sunday, January 8th. Please mark your calendars. Thank you! Aurora Sunday School Teachers and Jerianne

***Annual Report Information Needed***

It is that time of year again to prepare for the annual meetings. In order to get the annual reports completed by Sunday, January 15th, all the information needs to be turned in by Sunday, January 8th. Information can be e-mailed to owatpaape@aol.com.

Joint Budget Meeting

The Aurora/Trinity Budget Meeting will be on Monday, December 5th, 6:30 p.m. at Trinity. The following council members from both churches are required to attend: Presidents, Treasurers, and all Trustees. Please be sure to mark your calendars.

Aurora Sunday School Christmas Program

The Aurora Sunday School Christmas Program will be on Sunday, December 11th during the 10:30 a.m. Worship Service. Come and see what the Sunday School students have been preparing. There will be cookies and punch in the basement following the program. The hostesses for the program are: Cheryl Thompson (coordinator), Sara Pichner, Trish Norland, and Jenny Cupkie.

Aurora Church Council Meeting

The Aurora Church council meeting will be on Wednesday, December 14th at 6:30 p.m. with a potluck meal. This meeting is to plan/discuss the annual meeting.

Copper Street Brass Quintet Christmas Concert

Aurora will be hosting a Brass Quintet Christmas Concert on Saturday, December 3rd at 4:00 p.m. The cost is $10 per person or $30 for a family of 4. Part of the concert will be a Christmas Hymn sing-a-long. Copper Street Brass has recorded three albums and has been featured on Minnesota Public Radio, KARE 11 news and Montana Today. They are a non-profit group that uses the money they receive to provide music lessons to children that cannot afford it in the metro area. This event will be open to the public and WELCA will serve treats. Mark your calendars and start inviting friends and family to this fun family event. Check out the group at www.copperstreetbrass.com.

January Time Change

Just a reminder that worship times will be changing in January, starting Sunday, January 1st. Aurora Worship Service: 9:00 a.m. Trinity Worship Service: 10:30 a.m. Sunday School at Aurora will resume on Sunday, January 8th. Aurora Sunday School: 10:00 a.m.

Annual Meetings
The annual meetings for Trinity and Aurora will be taking place on the following Sundays. Please note Worship Service and Sunday School time changes on Sunday, January 29, 2011: Trinity Annual Meeting will take place on Sunday, January 22, 2011 following the Worship Service. Aurora Annual Meeting will take place on Sunday, January 29, 2011 following the Worship Service. Please note the time change for January 29th only. Aurora: 9:15 a.m. Sunday School 10:30 a.m. Worship Service Trinity: 9:00 a.m. Worship Service

Newsletter Information Deadline

Please have all information for the December newsletter and calendar to Kayla by Thursday, December 15th. Information can be e-mailed to owatpaape@aol.com or you can call either 451-3941 or 507-390-2039.

Events/Activities
Are you or your child(ren) involved or will be involved in any events or activities throughout the year? Please let Pastor Jon know. He would like to come out and support the event!

Checkout Aurora and Trinitys New Website! www.auroratrinitylutheran.org

Aurora and Trinity Lutheran Parish has a website! This will be a place where people can find out more about Aurora and Trinity as well as a place for us to share pictures and stories of our events. Pastor Jons sermon will also be posted on the new website. Parts of the website are still under construction and will coming soon. Please take a look at it and if you have any feedback or ideas, please talk with Pastor Jon. Also, Pastor Jon needs help with maintaining the website and keeping the information current. If you are interested in helping, please talk with Pastor Jon. www.auroratrinitylutheran.org

Pastor Jon Contact Information

If you need to reach Pastor Jon during the week, please call him at 507-676-5696 or you can send him an e-mail at: auroratrinitypastor@gmail.com. Pastor Jons day off is Friday.

Moving or Change of Address???

If you are moving, please be sure to notify the Church Secretary, Kayla Paape with your new address and phone information. Did you know that we have a service request on our mail? That means if we arent notified of an address change, the mail is returned to the church for a cost of 50 to $1.09. Please help keep costs down and keep your information current.

Welcome Corner
If anyone is interested in becoming a member of the Aurora or Trinity Lutheran Church congregation, please contact Pastor Jon for new member information.

Aurora Scholarships
Scholarship applications are now available from Pastor Jon & Jeanne Pichner, President. There are four scholarships for students who are currently attending a college or trade school. The four scholarships will be awarded sometime in early spring of 2012.

Please be sure to review the following enclosures:

Aurora Church Council Meeting Minutes for November Aurora-Trinity Joint Council Meeting Minutes Pastor Jons Message Cottage Meeting Updates

December has arrived, which means that it is the time of Advent and Christmas. As the darkness settles over each day earlier and earlier, this is a time when moments with hot chocolate, candles, fireplaces, and loved ones have the power to warm our hearts and feed our spirits. Know that I am grateful for all of you this Christmas season and look forward to celebrating the beautiful and curious story of Jesus birth with you all. Speaking of Jesus birth, did you know that the Gospel of Mark and the Gospel of John never mention it? Only the Gospel of Matthew and Luke do. Did you know that in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus is seemingly born in a house (Matthew 2:11) and, in the Gospel of Luke, Jesus is born in a manger? Or lastly, did you know that the three wise men only show up in the Gospel of Matthews version of Jesus birth, and the shepherds and angels only show up in Lukes version? Why dont the writers of Mark and John tell a birth story? Why do Matthew and Lukes stories differ? There are many interesting and important details like this in scripture of which many of us are not aware. One of my preaching professors, David Lose, tells a story about a time when he was listening to We Wish You A Merry Christmas, a carol so many of us know so well. He was singing along on the second verseOh, bring us some figgy pudding. Oh, bring us some figgy pudding. Oh, bring us some figgy pudding and a cup of good cheerand suddenly, it dawned on him what the heck is figgy pudding? It is a song he has sung hundreds of times in his life and he had never wondered (or asked!) what figgy pudding was. What is worse is that it never bothered him that he didnt know what it was. Every Sunday, we hear four Scripture readings and I wonder how many of us really understand what is being said and what it means (myself included!). Or is it just like this Christmas carol and figgy pudding we are so used to listening to these scripture readings and it doesnt bother us that we dont understand them. Do we know the Christian story anymore and do we know those important and meaningful details? As a way of deepening our faith and exploring the Bible, Id like to offer a discussion group in January based on David Loses book, Making Sense of Scripture: Big Questions About the Book of Faith. In this book, Lose invites us to engage in a conversation, one that he imagines discussing around his kitchen table, about seven major questions of the Bible. This book and discussion series has been widely successful among Christian churches nationwide. It is a dialogue that encourages us to bring our questions or doubts to the table when reading Scripture. Please stay tuned during the month of December for dates/times and sign-ups. Advent blessings and love to you all, Pastor Jon P.S. For those of you still wondering: figgy pudding is a white pudding made of figs, which was traditionally served to carolers.

Cottage Meeting Update

As many of you know, six cottage meetings were held over the course of October in various homes and spaces for the Aurora and Trinity Lutheran Parish. These were opportunities for us to gather together in small groups around a meal at for discussion about where we have been as a parish and where we are going. I want to thank all of you who took the risk and the time to either host or attend a cottage meeting. In my opinion, they were very successful and quite fun! This is something we will do again in the future. I want to take the opportunity to give a brief summary of the cottage meetings. The specific questions that were asked were the following, along with the larger themes that came out of each question: What are our currents strengths as a congregation? Our annual events Aurora Diner and Oyster/Chili Supper, Trinity Aebleskiver Close-knit, family-style, welcoming church Diversity of talents and skills among members Members are committed and hardworking Our generosity Church leadership Sunday School/Luther League What are our gaps? (Or what do we need to work on?) Clarity of vision and mission of the parish Need for vitalized worship Adult Education/Bible Study/Mens and Womens groups Clear communication Membership attendance Losing connection with youth after confirmation and high school What is your greatest dream/hope for our church? Filled pews on Sunday morning To be known out in the community Church choir Activities for family Growth in knowledge and faith These are some of the most frequently mentioned ideas that were discussed at the cottage meetings. Where we go from here is a work in progress. The work that was done at these cottage meetings will inform my work and leadership with all of you. But I also need your help. If you have ideas or are willing to take on some responsibility with regards to something listed here, please come and speak with me! Together we can make our strengths stronger, fill our gaps, and realize our dreams. Lastly, I do want to mention one other thing that came up in the cottage meetings. It is becoming clearer that the issue of homosexuality and the decisions made by the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA) in 2009 have been quite painful for many people (on both sides of the issue!) from Aurora and Trinity. My sense is that it would be good for us to have some safe and respectful discussion around homosexuality and the decisions made by the ELCA. Know that I will be considering how to go about doing that in the coming year. As always, peace and love to you, Pastor Jon

Aurora Lutheran Church Council Meeting November 16, 2011 The regular monthly meeting of the Aurora Church Council met on November 16, 2011, at 6:30 PM. Those present were Pastor Jon Davis, Jeanne Pichner, Stan Norland, Cheryl Thompson, Bill Lewison, Roger Carroll, Brett Paape, Wayne Larson, Robert Thurnau, Jodi Keck. Pastor Jon lead devotions, Matthew 25: 31-46 The Secretarys report was approved as read. The Treasures report was approved as read and subject to audit: General Fund: $1920.84; Building Fund: $2,767.60; Memorial Fund: $12,645.20; Parsonage Fund: $1,462.75; Cemetery Fund: $8,593.44. 1. We discussed updating our membership list. Tabled for now. 2. If you purchase something and charge it on the charge card you NEED to submit your receipt to Stan or Jodi. Pastor Jons things: He has the web site up and running. The web site address is:auroratrinitylutheran.org. Pastor Jon says its a work in progress! Keep checking back for new updates. Ryan and Michelle (Jensen) Williams are going to be starting a young adult group-more details to come. Pastor Jon will take vacation the week between Christmas and New Years. Barb Peterson will be our guest Pastor. Copper Street Brass Quintet will be performing Saturday, Dec 3 at 4 PM. Pastor Jon will be having in January a book study on Making Sense of Scripture. More details coming. 3. Decorating the church for Christmas will be November 26 at 4 PM with Pizza. Brett will pick up the pizza. 4. With the changing of time in January to early service it was suggested that we try having coffee and a treat after service. We will be putting up a sign up sheet, if you can bring a treat and or make coffee. 5. The new flag pole has been put up. The plaque needs to be put on yet. 6. The treasures book will be audited by Kayla Paape and Sara Pichner on Tuesday Nov. 22. 7. Lifestyle: Roger Carroll has checked with them a number of times. A motion was made and seconded to drop the collections procedure. 8. Cemetery Committee met. They have put together some suggestions but want to meet with Cory Michaelson before they present their recommendations. 9. Scholarships are now available. You can find them in the north room at the church. Please note that you need to return them to the church or Pastor Jon by December 31 in order to qualify. 10. Our annual meeting will be held Jan 29 after church. We will ask Trinity if we can change our time of church to 10:30. 11. We will be having a council meeting on December 14 at 6:30PM. It was decided that we have things that need to be discussed before the annual meeting. Respectfully Submitted, Cheryl Thompson, Secretary

Aurora Trinity Church Joint Council Meeting Wednesday, October 19, 2011
The joint council meeting of the Aurora and Trinity churches was held on Wed. October 19, 2010 at Trinity at 7:00 pm. President Rich Paulson presided. Secretary's report was read and approved. Dates were set for the following services in 2011-2012. First Communion Retreat: there are no 5lh graders in either churches this year. All Saint's Sunday is Nov. 6, 2011 with the lighting of the candles at both churches. New this year, names of members that have passed will be read, with the ringing of a bell after each. Pastor Jon will be gone for a wedding. Pastor Ron Barth will preside over both services. Thankoffering service is Nov. 13, 2011 at Aurora. Lauren Davis will preside over both services in Pastor Jon's absence. Thanksgiving service will be a joint service at Trinity on Wed. eve. Nov. 23, 2011 at 6:30pm. Offering will be given to the appropriate churches with any cash being split 50/50. Budget meeting will be Mon. Dec. 5, 2011 at Trinity at 6:30pm. Both Pres. Treas. and Trustees are to attend. Sunday School program at Aurora will be on Sun. Dec. 11, 2011 during the service. Christmas services: Christmas Eve at Aurora at 4:00pm. Christmas Day at Trinity at 9:00am. Lenten Services: Ash Wed. Feb. 22, 2012 will be a joint service and soup supper at Aurora beginning at 6:30pm. Other times will be soup supper at 6:00pm, and service at 6:45 at Aurora. Trinity will host a joint supper, date to be determined, otherwise they will meet at 7:45 pm. with coffee hour starting at 7:00pm. Holy Week: Trinity will have Maundy Thursday service at 7:00pm., and Aurora will have Good Friday service at 7pm. Easter Service: Sun. April 8, 2012. Aurora will have Sunrise service at 7:00am, breakfast served at 8:00am, and service at 9:00am. Trinity will have 10:30am Easter worship service. Confirmation will be held on May 6. 2012 at both churches. Aurora has 2 confirmands and Trinity has 1. Trinity will have the early service with Aurora following at normal times. Parish picnic will be Sun. July 15, 2012. Jody Keck mentioned looking into some games and activities to make this event more inviting and enjoyable. Next joint council meeting will be held Oct. 17, 2012 at Aurora at 7:00pm. Budget meeting will be Mon. Dec. 3, 2012 at Aurora at 6:30pm. Both Pres. Treas. and Trustees are to attend. Items brought to us by Pastor Jon: Although the parsonage is provided for Pastor Jon and his family, he needs to show a housing allowance on his W-2 tax form. He will designate $2000.00 for this which will be the normal split of 75% Aurora and 25% Trinity. Motion was made by Stan Norland for this and was seconded by Jody Keck. All approved. Website Domain: This will cost approx. $11 to $24 per year. The website will be "auroratrinitylutheran.org" Motion was made by Jeannie Pichner and seconded by Stan Norland. All approved. Other Business: Trinity offered a sincere Thank You to Aurora for the money given to them from the Dinner and also the leftover items donated to the auction concessions that Trinity had done. In an effort to make Aurora and Trinity closer sister churches we may look into doing more joint services such as possibly doing summer outdoor services. Motion to adjourn was made by Stan Norland and seconded by Roger Carroll. All approved. A small lunch was enjoyed by all.

Respectfully submitted, Shari Manges, Trinity Secretary